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Military Appreciation: The Right Way and the Wrong Way

Recently, a business owner in a small town with a large population of military personnel, civilians and retirees decided to make an announcement that because he disagreed with what the U.S. Military does in the world, that he would no longer provide a military discount.

Of course, the announcement came after years of providing that discount and while military families were dining there. You know what happened next, social media exploded. Since then, he has made an apology and decided to reinstate the discount for the military.

As a Veteran, personally I could care less one way or the other, but let me explain how this works.

Giving a military discount is a sign of respect by those who appreciate what our young men and women do for our country. They voluntarily join the military so that the rest of the country can live free.

When I go into a business and they ask me if I am a veteran, and proceed to tell me that they appreciate me by giving me a discount, I am touched. It is not that I need money off, because I went in there preparing to pay full price, it is what comes from someone’s heart, whether it be a chain business or a small business. They their choice to show how they feel, not to make a statement, not to make more money and not for publicity, but because they really do care.

The problem with the business I spoke of above is, that once the owner decided to take away that discount in the manner that he did, he was sure to lose a lot of business. When he reinstated the discount, it wasn’t because he had a change of heart, but knew how much he was losing because of the decision to make that change. The Veterans and Military Members who go to the business also have a choice to make, whether they want to spend money in a place that appreciates them or one that dislikes them.

Can someone change their mind? Yes! But what causes your mind to be changed is what counts. Did you change your mind because deep down in your heart you really care about those who serve the country? Or did you change your mind because you might lose so much money that your business would go under? That is really what this boils down to.

If you really are against what our military does in the world, you have every right to discontinue those discounts, and I hope that changing your mind back isn’t because of loss of revenue, but because you truly are sorry. Sticking to what you believe, regardless of the consequences is what gets you respect.

You see the same thing happen when an apartment complex makes a veteran take down the American Flag, or a community not allowing any display of patriotism.

So, to those businesses who give the discounts because they love their country, and appreciate everything our young men and women do, know that we appreciate your support, it does mean a lot to us.